Past-Member of the Program and Executive Committees of the Division of Agrochemicals of theAmerican Chemical Society

Treasurer, Division of Agrochemicals, American Chemical Society

Consultant to UN, USAID, USDA, Foreign Laboratories, US Industries

III. International Experience

Co-director of a course on Radiochemical Techniques in Agriculture presented at the University of Costa Rica by the FAO/IAEA branch of the United Nations (Vienna, Austria) 1985

Visiting expert for one month to the Natural Science Research Insitute of The Univ. of Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City and to the National Crop Protection Center, The Univ. of the Phillippines, Los Banos, on behalf of IAEA Branch of the United Nations, 1989.

A two week trip to China in 1990 to study pesticide production, use, regulations and research. Supported by USDA Department of International Development and Cooperation. Institutes and universities visited were in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Guangzhou.

Visiting expert for one month to government and university laboratories in Panama, dealing with radiochemical uses in agricultural research on behalf of IAEA Branch of the United Nations, 1990.

A one-month assignment on behalf of US AID to Swaziland, Africa, to arrange to set up a major pesticide analytical laboratory for the Swaziland government. This trip involved numerous visits to South Africa and a trip to Madagascar, 1990.

Visiting expert for two weeks to Panama evaluating pesticide research programs on behalf of the IAEA Branch of the United Nations, 1995.

Visiting expert for two weeks to San Jose, Costa Rica, helping to direct laboratory personnel and implement QA/QC and GLP in Dr. Elizabeth Carazo’s Analytical Laboratory on behalf of the IAEA Branch of the United Nations, 1998.

Honors:

Cancer Society Fellowship, 1957

DuPont Fellowship, 1959

Awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to Norway, in 1960 (Took another position, instead of the Fellowship.)

Past Chairman, Central Pennsylvania Section of the American Chemical Society, past member of the Program and Executive Committee and the Treasurer (1994-date) of the Division of Agrochemicals of the American Chemical Society

Member of Sigma Xi

IR-4 Meritorious Service Award, 1985

CIBA-GEIGY Award for Outstanding Contributions to Agriculture, 1986

Penn State Gamma Sigma Delta Research Award, 1989

Named Distinguished Professor of Environmental Quality in 1990.

Elected Fellow of the Division of Agrochemicals of the American Chemical Society, 1995

The American Chemical Society International Award for Research in Agrochemicals, 2001

Professional Society Memberships:

American Association for the Advancement of Science (past)
American Chemical Society
Past member of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Entomological Society of America
Entomological Society of Pennsylvania
Division of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, ACS
Division of Agrochemicals, ACS
International Chemical Ecology Society

Invited Lectures (past 30 years):

Michigan State University
University of California, Pesticide Science Laboratory, Berkeley, CA
University of California at Berkeley, at Davis, and at the Scripps Institution of
Oceanography, San Diego, CA
University of Nebraska
Iowa State University, Paul Dahm Lecturer
University of Costa Rica at San Jose, Costa Rica
University of the Philippines at Los Banos and Quezon City
University of Panama at Panama City and David
Several Chinese Institutions and Universities
University of Santiago, Santiago, Chile
International Symposium on Natural Products, Valparaiso, Chile
International Chemical Ecology Society, Los Banos, Chile
International Potato Institute, Lima, Peru
International Tropical Agriculture Center, Cali, Columbia
International Geranium Conference, Odense, Denmark
Metabolism and Radiation Research Laboratory, USDA, Fargo, ND
Gordon Research Conference, Drug Metabolism, Plymouth, NH
Gordon Research Conference, Chemical Ecology, Oxnard, CA
Sixth and Seventh International Congress of Pesticide Chemistry, Canada and Germany

In addition to the thirty invited papers or symposia over forty additional papers have been presented at meetings.

VII. Book Chapters

Fourteen articles have been published as book chapters.

VIII. Books Edited

Coedited two books

IX. Two Patents Issued.

Significant Accomplishments

A summary of significant accomplishments of Ralph Mumma's Laboratory is given below and can roughly be grouped into three main categories: 1) Environmental Quality, 2) Chemical Ecology, and 3) Biochemical subjects.

Environmental Quality (1965-1997)

Contributed to our knowledge of the fate of agrochemicals with special emphasis on fate in plants (1965-1997).

The first laboratory to demonstrate root uptake of a halogenated hydrocarbon insecticide (dieldrin) by forage crops and wheat (1966-1968).

Demonstrated the use of mass spectrometry for pesticide residue analysis (1966), and has continued to use this technique.

The first person to develop and demonstrate the usefulness of laser ion mass spectrometry for analysis of polar and ionic organic salts (1968-1972). Mumma’s and Vastola’s papers have been cited as the pioneering work in this area of matric assisted laser ionization mass spectrometry.

Pioneered the use of plant tissue culture as a tool for the metabolism of agrochemicals. Demonstrated its use for comparative studies and for mass production of metabolites. The first laboratory to regenerate whole cotton plants from commercially important cotton tissue cultures (US Patent) (1972-1986).

Specialized on the study of the metabolism and fate of phenoxyherbicides (1972-1986).

The first laboratory to develop immunological assays for analysis of pesticides and pioneered its development (1979-1997). This technique has been commercialized and is now widely used. Dr. Mumma has consulted for numerous years on the development of immunoassay kits.

Contributed to our knowledge and understanding of the movement of agrochemicals in our ecosystem following application of the agrochemical with emphasis on water movement relative to agricultural procedures on corn production and turfgrass practices (1986-1997).

The first research group to regenerate commercially important cotton plants from tissue cultures. Penn State, along with Dr. Mumma and collaborators, received a patent for this development (1987).

Demonstrated the usefulness of neutron activation to analyze heavy metal pollutants. One of the few persons at Penn State to have used the Penn State Breazeale Nuclear Reactor for 38 years.

Chemical Ecology (1971-1997)

Contributed to our knowledge on the chemical defensive agents of water beetles (Dytiscids, Gyrinids). These studies resulted in the discovery of new chemical structures and their biological significance was evaluated (1971-1983).

Identified the chemicals of the glandular trichome exudates of geraniums as anacardic acids and showed they are responsible for mite resistance in geranium. Evaluated their biochemical and physiological significance. Proposed a model for biosynthesis of anacardic acids and showed that they are derived from a unique unsaturated fatty acid present only in the tall glandular trichomes of resistant geraniums. Chemical and bioassay analysis of the F1, F2 and BC generation determined that one gene was responsible for the presence of the w5-unsaturated anacardic acids, and this correlated with resistanced (1984-1998).

Isolated and cloned a novel delta 9 14:0-ACP Fatty Acid desaturase from geraniums which is responsible for the mite resistance of geraniums. U.S. Patent. (1995-1998).

Biochemical Subjects (1961-1973)

Contributed to our knowledge on the lipid composition of plants, insects and thermophylic and entomophylic fungi (1961-1973).

Developed a new procedure for the mild synthesis of sulfate esters of organic compounds, utilizing carbodiimides. Demonstrated wide applicability of this new procedure. This reaction has been used commercially to produce steroid sulfates (1966-1971).

Demonstrated the usefulness of ascorbic acid sulfate to act as a sulfating agent in biological tissues (1968).

First to synthesize and isolate ascorbic acid sulfate from animal tissues (1968-1972).